2-Chlorobenzylchloride is commercially available and uses for it are being sought. Consideration has been given to converting it to 2-chlorobenzylamine which is useful for making thieno-pyridine derivatives including ticlopidine, a platelet inhibitor, as disclosed in Braye U.S. Pat. No. 4,127,580 (see compound 10 in Table 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,127,580). However, the literature discloses only methods for converting 2-chlorobenzylchloride to 2-chlorobenzylamine which have serious drawbacks. For example, Vassilev, G. N. et al, Dokl. Bolg. Akad. Nauk., 28, No. 1, pages 931-933, disclose reacting 2-chlorobenzylchloride with liquid NH.sub.3 to form 2-chlorobenzylamine. This reaction requires a large excess of ammonia to minimize formation of secondary amine and also refrigeration to retain the ammonia in liquid state. Graymore, J. et al, J. Chem. Soc. (1945), pages 293-94 and Morley, J. S., J. Chem. Soc. (1961), pages 1414-16 disclose reacting 2-chlorobenzylchloride with hexamethylene to form a tetraamine quaternary derivative and then decomposing this to form 2-chlorobenzylamine. This reaction has the disadvantage of potentially producing carcinogenic bis(chloromethyl)ether as a by-product. Thus, a new route which does not require a large excess of reactant or refrigeration capacity and which does not produce such toxic by-products would be highly desirable.